hold your horses
by PoetryRebel
Summary: Ally Dawson - a shy, timid girl, fresh out of college. Austin Moon - a bold, strong country boy with dreams of more than a small town. When Ally moves with her best friend Trish to see Trish's boyfriend, Dez, down to the sticks of Texas, these two meet in unlikely circumstances. Can Austin break Ally out of her shell? / auslly, multichap.
1. something 'bout austin

"Come on Ally, it'll be fun!" Trish said.

Ally rolled her eyes. Clearly, her definition of fun was a lot different from Trish's. She'd rather be spending her newly, fresh out of college self curled up in an apartment with a new book.

_Definitely_ not at a dude ranch with Trish's boyfriend.

The first thing Ally noted about Dez was his height. He was well over 6 feet and he wavered above her with a goofy grin. He was ginger and as for his wardrobe…not the typical southern wear she was expecting. A bright, checkered t-shirt with pants to match, followed by yellow suspenders hanging lose. It looked like a blind person picked them out. And he was a bit…off.

He took the purple suitcase from Ally's hands and grinned. "Is there anything meltable in here?"

"Meltable?" she asked timidly, hunching an eyebrow.

"You know, able to melt. Or solidable?"

She stared at him awkwardly and Trish rolled her eyes. "Freckles, it's just clothes."

Trish gripped his arm and led him through the house, Ally meekly following behind.

Dez took the suitcases up to his room. It was, admittedly, a big house. Which meant lots of people. Ally grimaced and twirled her hair. It's not that she didn't like people.

She was just really, really shy.

"Dez! How many times have I told you to keep your backpack out of my room- oh, hi there!"

A girl burst into Dez's room, brunette, curly hair bouncing at her shoulders. She grinned at Trish and immediately hugged her.

"H-hey, Autumn," Trish said, and Ally grinned. Trish hated physical contact.

_Autumn, _Ally thought to herself. She had heard that name before, in the dorm room at MUNY. Trish must've talked to Dez about her.

"You must be Ally!" Autumn said.

Ally chuckled nervously, preparing herself to shrink back if she too would be wrapped in an embrace.

It never happened.

"Trish has talked _so_ much about you!" she said. "I'm so happy to finally meet you."

Ally did her best to smile courteously. She glanced over at the window, where even more people were coming in…trucks?

This would be a long summer.

/

"Mikey!" Dez yelled, running up to a man in a flannel tee and old Levi's. He jumped into the man's arms, and the man picked him up.

A blonde woman drew from behind the man in a matching flannel with a scarf tied around it. She smiled as Dez wrapped his arms around her as well.

"Ally, this is Mike and Mimi Moon," Autumn said. "They're best friends with our parents."

"Aww, Trish! You're all little Dezzy talks about!" Mimi said.

Mike cleared his throat and turned to face Dez. Ally noted the southern drawl and she felt out of place with her Miami accent.

"Good job, son. You got a real nice girl here," Mike said, turning to face Trish.

"Thanks. Is Austin coming to supper?" Dez asked.

_Austin._ That name didn't click like Autumn.

"Yeah, he's just workin' at the stables. Y'all wanna go up yonder and help him?"

Dez nodded eccentrically and Trish chimed in. "Aw, what the heck."

Ally trailed behind them slightly until they got to the horses.

Horses. She shuddered.

Ally noticed everyone had mounted but her.

"You need help, sweetie?" Mimi asked, readjusting the lasses on her mare.

"No ma'am," she said, and clumsily threw herself over the horse.

She waited just an extra second before realizing the horse wouldn't throw her off. It merely trotted alongside everyone else's.

Maybe this wasn't so bad.

When the horse went to turn, it jerked her off and she hit the ground with a rather ungraceful thud.

Okay, maybe it was.

/

She brushed the grass off her pants and sighed.

The sun was blocking her view of everything until a large hand outstretched to her.

Ally didn't know whether to take it or not.

"I don't bite."

A voice rang and she looked up, finding a rather attractive face to match the hand. She slipped her hand into his and allowed him to pull her up.

"I've never seen you before," he said, and she realized he hadn't let go of her hand. "What's your name?"

"A-Ally," she sputtered out. "I'm from Miami. I'm here with my friend…Trish."

"You're awful pretty for a Floridian. Don't worry about old Pickles there, she don't take very well to newcomers. I can give you a ride if you want."

Her eyes shot up.

"Not that kinda ride, I mean like a piggyback ride. Or if you're into that…" he said, and she saw something flash in his eyes. He burst out laughing.

"God, you're somethin'. Come on, hop on."

He knelt down and she awkwardly stepped back.

"Can I at least give you a ride on Pancakes, then?" he said. He whistled and a bright, custard colored mare strode up to his side. He hopped on and again, outstretched his hand to her.

She allowed him to pull her up.

"My name's Austin, by the way."

He pressed his heel gently into Pancakes' side, letting her know to start going.

"Hold onto me if you get scared," he said.

Despite everything telling her not to, she couldn't help but wrap her arms around his sides when the horse picked up its pace.

He didn't seem to mind.

/

Dez's parents and Austin's parents really _were_ best friends. As were Dez and Austin.

After their awkward encounter today, the last thing she wanted was to see him.

But she couldn't just do that, she had to sit right next to him at dinner.

"What's for dinner, Ma?" Dez asked, taking a seat by Trish.

"Chicken Casserole and greens," Betty replied, serving him a plate alongside everyone else.

Mimi inhaled it. "Oh gosh, it smells delicious Betty Lou. I feel kind of rude, we have guests."

"I don't believe I caught your name, dear," Mike said.

It took a minute for Ally to register he was talking to her.

"It's Ally," Austin said, casually popping a bite of casserole into his mouth. "She's awful shy."

She hesitantly answered for herself. "My name's Ally. I guess I am rather shy."

Trish smiled. "Not when you get to know her. Then she never shuts up."

"Aw, bless her heart. So Ally, Dez tells me you went to MUNY," Mimi said.

"MUNY? Ain't that one of the best schools in the country?" Betty piped in.

"Sure is," Trish answered. "Ally was one of their best students. She's a songwriter."

She shrank back into her chair. "This is really good casserole."

Austin looked at it funny. "It's burnt."

"Austin Monica Moon, watch your manners!" Mimi yelled.

Ally and Trish burst into laughter.

"Monica?!" Trish said, barely containing herself.

"Moooom!" Austin whined.

"Isn't that a girl's name?" Ally said.

Austin folded his arms. "Oh yeah, and what's your middle name?"

"Marie," she said.

He slunk back in defeat.

* * *

**A/N: So how was that? Yay for new multichapters. I may not continue it, but depending on reviews, we'll see how it goes. I owe quite a few people requests, but I really want to finish this up before I start up on requests again. I will get around to it though!**

**P.S.: Big shout out to Autumn, aka AwkkwardTree, for helping me to write this! :D**

**Review, please!**

**~Rebel **


	2. whatever it is

One thing she's sure of; Miami is nothing like the south.

And she's pretty sure her skinny jeans and fashion tops are horribly out of style here. She settled for borrowing a white, lacey dress and a pair of brown cowgirl boots from Autumn.

She's been in Texas for 3 days and she's learned quite a few things. She jotted them down in her book.

_1) We wake up at 6._

_2) "Yonder" is not an actual place._

_3) It's not wise to wear tank tops._

_4) If somebody says "mustang", they're talking about a horse, not a car._

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts and she tucked her book securely away.

"Yes?"

Austin creaked the door open slightly and emitted a whistle from his lips.

"Don't you look like a real southern belle," he said, folding his arms. "How old are you, anyway?"

"Twenty one," she said. "You?"

"Twenty-two. Whatcha' doin?"

"Just writing some stuff," she said. Ally tried to ignore the flush that was creeping up her cheeks.

He grinned and took her hand, and she pulled back slightly.

"Come on, Ally, I ain't gonna hurt you."

She reluctantly allowed him to lead her outside. Autumn ran over and kissed him on the cheek.

Ally felt her heart sink.

Trish walked up as Austin went to crank up the truck. "Hey, Ally."

"Hey, Trish," she said. Looking around to make sure neither were watching, she twirled her hair a bit. "Autumn and Austin are dating?"

Trish burst into laughter. "Hell no. They're like brother and sister. Plus, Autumn's dating some guy named Houston."

"Geez, is everyone here named after this state?" she asked.

"Naw, but Austin's a pretty suave name. It's better than Dallas," Austin piped in with a scoff, coming up from behind her.

Dez started up the truck and Trish hopped in the passenger seat. Ally went to go back in the house, but Austin grabbed her hand. "Where are you going, Miss Ally Marie?"

"Inside?" she replied, feeling a lump catch in her throat.

He hopped into the bed of the blue truck. "Get in."

"Um, I don't know.."

"Ally, get in."

She sighed and allowed him to hoist her into the trucks. Blankets were laid out over it and she took a seat in the corner.

"Gee, you sure know how to make a fella' feel warm," Austin said. Ally rolled her eyes.

"Buddy, come here!" Austin yelled out the side of the truck. Ally peered her head open and saw a yellow lab hop up in the truck. Her eyes shot up.

"Aww, good boy," Austin said, reaching over the sides and picking up a stick. He threw it out and the dog hopped off to go get it.

"Was that your dog?"

"Naw, that was Aunt Grace's dog," Austin said, sticking one arm off the side.

"I thought Mimi was an only child?" Ally said.

"She is. You ain't never been to the south, have ya Als?"

Ally cringed at the petname. "Nope."

Austin flipped his hair. She couldn't help but noticed how blonde it was. Like the sun was radiating it's rays off of it just for him. And how absolutely _wonderful_ his eyes were, like melting chocolate.

"It's getting late," Austin said, glancing up at the sky.

"Should we go home?" Ally perked up.

"Course not," Austin said. "Whattya think the blankets for?"

Dez pulled the truck over in front of a lake. The now darkening sky was reflecting off of it, and she looked around in awe as Austin helped her off the bed.

He took out the blanket and laid it over the hood of the truck. He hopped on it and helped her onto it.

"So what're we doing?" she asked. He laid his head back and pointed up towards the sky.

"I bet the lights in Miami drain out all this," he whispered. Her head gently laid back against the hood. It was breathtaking. Every star was aligned perfectly, and they were gleaming brightly. Almost if they were shining on her.

On them.

/

Dez started the fire as Autumn spread out the blankets on the dirt.

She took the seat farthest away from people.

Austin scooted his blanket closer to hers.

He just _couldn't_ leave her alone.

"Hey Dez, toss me my acoustic!" he yelled over his shoulder, and Dez barely threw a yellow-toned 6-string acoustic to Austin.

"You can play guitar?" Ally asked.

"Of course," he said, strumming it and tuning it as well. It sounded beautiful, especially since it had such a worn appearance.

"Austin's the best singer in all of Glendale," Dez said.

He smirked cockily and Ally rolled her eyes.

"Can you…play me something?"

He smiled warmly. "'Course."

He strummed the guitar and paused for a minute, before continuing to play.

"You know Zack Brown Band, Als?"

She nodded slowly and curled her legs up as he started to sing.

_She's got eyes that cut you like a knife and_

_Lips that taste like sweet red wine_

_And pretty legs go to heaven every time_

His voice was soft and melancholic, and his southern drawl seemed to slightly fade as he sang, but it was still distinguishable. He could sing _a lot _better than she expected.

_She's got a gentle way that puts me at ease_

_When she walks in the room I can hardly breathe_

_Got a devastating smile knock a grown man to his knees_

He winked at Ally and she felt her face grow hotter. Of course, the fire _was_ right in front of them.

_She got whatever it is_

_It blows me away_

_She's everything I wanna say to a woman_

_But couldn't find the words to say_

_She's got whatever it is_

_I don't know what to do _

He paused, and she realized he was waiting for her to sing the next line. Her throat went dry, but she stuttered it out.

_Everytime I try to tell her how I feel, it comes out I love you_

He joined her on the next line.

_You got whatever it is._

Ally smiled as Autumn and Dez clapped.

"You've got a pretty good voice, Austin," she smiled.

"Me? How about you? You've got this angel voice thing goin' on for you, whatever it is."

Her face flushed again.

"You're a really good singer, Ally," Autumn said. "You and Austin go well together."

Trish elbowed her in the side. "In more ways than one."

Ally groaned and threw another log on the fire.

/

**End of the second chapter! As usual, review :D**

**~rebel**


	3. miami's a past

Ally crept into the kitchen, grabbing an apple from the bowl on the table. One bite into it, she spit it into the trash can.

Betty smiled and put a hand to her chest. "Bless your heart sweetie, those are plastic."

Ally chugged a water bottle and grinned. "You think?"

"Little Austin used to do that all the time, I swear. Dez still does," she said, shaking her head. "So don't feel bad."

"Thanks," Ally said. "Hey, where is everybody?"

Betty shut the sink off and finished towel-drying the last dish. "Austin and Dez went off to help Uncle Randy down at the creek. I reckon Autumn and Trish followed 'em."

"Oh. They didn't take me?" Ally frowned.

"Austin and Dez are the only people who know how to really fix that problem. I'm guessin' Trish and Autumn just jumped along? It's okay, sweetie. You can help me out around the house."

She nodded. "What exactly do you do around here?"

"Dishes, sweep up the floors, dust, make the beds, wash the youngins' clothes, and if they need it, go feed Randy's dogs."

Ally hunched an eyebrow. "By yourself?"

Betty smirked. "Aw hon, it ain't that much. You can help me make dinner, since I've already got everything else taken care of."

"It's only noon," Ally said.

"Perfect time to start breading the hushpuppies and making the cobbler."

"What?" Ally said. "I'm sorry…what? Puppies?"

/

Ally went to her room, shutting the door behind her and pulling a photo album out from her suitcase. 6 days in Texas and she already felt homesick. She'd never missed Miami so much as she did now.

They were all photos from college. Photos of her and Trish, her and her Dad on break. Photos of her and Zack.

She picked up one and looked at it. She was laughing, and he had his arm around her. Ally could feel tears well up in her eyes. She instinctively ripped the photo up and threw it in the trash.

The mere photo brought all the memories back. Everything flooded back into her mind. She gritted her teeth and pulled the blanket up over her head.

She agreed to move down here to get away from Miami. Away from Zack, away from everything that happened. A fresh start.

She pulled the photo album out from her bed again, this time actually flipping through it. They both looked so happy. And the brief time that Trish dated Trent, they both looked happy too.

"Things change," she whispered. "People change, but the memories remain."

She hopped up from her bed and grabbed her songbook.

"Those were pretty good lyrics."

/

_On cold days, cold plays out like the bands name_

_I know I can't heal things with a handshake_

_You know I can't change as I begin saying_

_You cut me open wide like a landscape_

She creased her book and belted out the lyrics. The door creaked open and she dropped her book.

"I'm sorry hun, I was just wondering if you wanted some sweet tea I just made. Didn't mean to startle ya…" Betty said.

"Oh, it's okay. I'll take a glass."

"That sounded pretty good, you know. You could be the next Dolly Parton," Betty said. Ally laughed slightly.

"I don't think so," she said.

"I think you're just a bit shy. Ain't that sweet."

"Not really," Ally said. "If anything, it's sour. I can't stand it."

"I think it makes ya a mystery. And you're a looker, too. I'm surprised you ain't got a boyfriend."

"I did," Ally said quietly. "It ah…it didn't work out so well."

Betty frowned and put a hand on Ally's shoulder. "You know, that Austin is a fine man."

"Austin? You mean, Austin _Monica _Moon?" Ally said.

"Yeah. He may be a bit cocky, but he ain't ever done a girl wrong. You'd be safe in his arms."

Ally smiled. "Why's he single, then?"

"He said he was waitin' on the right girl. Who knows, that girl could be you."

"You're a bit of a matchmaker, aren't you?"

Betty smiled and folded the towel that was in her arms. "You're not from a small town. This here is our downtime activity."

"You sound like high school girls," Ally said, tying her hair in a ponytail.

"Maybe. But we're all well over 30 and our gossip is generally friendly. Unless we're talkin' bout Shannon. That girl is so messed up. It ain't her Momma's fault. I guess it's 'cause her daddy left when she was 'round 8, but I mean, how can a girl be that messed up?"

"I've only been in town for 6 days. Who's Shannon?"

"Tonya and them's child. She sleeps around and she cain't keep a job. And she had such a promising future, too. After her daddy left she just kinda went downhill," Betty said.

"No offense, but why's she such a topic to you?" Ally asked.

"She dated Aaron few years back. Almost brought him down with her."

"Aaron..?" Ally asked.

"Austin's older brother," Betty said.

"Austin has a brother?"

"_Had_ a brother, rather," Betty said. "He enlisted in the Air Force back in '05, when Austin was round 13 or 14. He died in '08, when Austin was 17. Really hit 'em hard, because he was supposed to come home in a few months."

"Oh…" Ally said. "I'm sorry."

"He was a good kid. Austin looked up to him. But Aaron wanted to leave. Said the small town life wasn't for him. I guess Austin's following in his footsteps."

Ally pursed her lips. "He's not going in the military, is he?"

"Goodness gracious, no. Austin may be strong but he ain't nothin' for the military. He wants to be a singer of some sorts. That's what Mikey and Mimi done told me, anyway."

"He is pretty good at singing," Ally said.

"Yeah, but he needs to hold his horses before he runs off to Hollywood or somethin'. He's still a country boy and he's still got a family."

She smiled at the thought of Austin being famous. Ridiculous.

Right?

**/**

**Woo…a third chapter. :D**

**Review?~Rebel**


	4. free fallin'

"Ally, honey, can you help me out?" Mimi asked, peering her head into the brunette's room.

"Uhm, sure, with what?" Ally said, shoving her book underneath her pillow.

"Austin, Autumn, and them went up yonder to the creek. Since you're still here, couldya lend me a hand painting the barn?"

She nodded her head and rose from her bed.

"Thanks, shug."

They walked out to a brown, dusty barn. It was huge, with tables and stage lined up inside.

"What's this for?" Ally asked.

"We're havin' a hoedown Saturday. I was supposed to paint it last week, but I got held up and well…gotta fry the omelet if I broke the eggs."

Ally ignored the metaphor she didn't quite seem to grasp. "So, where are the paint rollers?"

Mimi chuckled. "Aw shug, we're usin' brushes and cans here."

She glanced over at the table of black and garnet paint.

She sighed and picked up a garnet paint brush, running the thistles of it along her fingertips. It felt similar to the ocean waves in Miami.

Like home.

/

Austin strode up to the barn on Pancakes, tying her to the bench and hopping off.

"Dang Momma, you did all this by yourself?" he called out, looking at the freshly garnet barn. He noticed a black treble clef painted eloquently alongside the barn walls.

"Not exactly," Mimi called from the roof. Ally waved.

"Why, if it ain't Miss Ally Marie, whatcha doin' up there?" Austin said. She rolled her eyes.

"Ally here helped me paint this. She even added a cute little music sign!"

"You did this?" Austin said as she slipped down from the roof.

"Yeah."

"It's beautiful," he said, looking around. "Can't wait for the hoedown."

"You are singing, aren'tya Austin?" Mimi called.

"Yup," he said. "Sure am."

"Oh, Ally dear, you're coming, right shug?"

She nodded. Austin untied pancakes and smiled. "Come 'ere, Als."

"How much do you weigh?" he asked as she walked over to him.

"I don't know, maybe 98 po-AUSTIN!"

Austin wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up and setting her on the saddle of the horse.

"This is not okay!"

He hopped on behind her, wrapping his arms around her again, resting his head on her shoulder. "Relax, it's okay. I'm gonna teach you how to ride him."

She breathed out and squinted her eyes. "I don't like this."

"You will," he said. He gently placed her hands on his neck in the right positions and told her to press her heel slightly into Pancakes' side.

When he first took off, she shrank back in shock, and Austin tightened his grip in her. He leaned into her and whispered in her ears.

"I've got you. Just hold 'em tight."

She relaxed and leaned in as Pancakes ran in through the field.

/

He hopped off and held out his hand for her to take, but she jumped off instead.

"That was awesome!" she buzzed, spinning in circles with her arms outspread.

"I felt so free and...light...that was amazing!"

Austin ran a hand through his air and leaned against Pancakes. "Yeah, it feels pretty awesome once ya get a feel for it."

She plopped down on the grass. "That was amazing. I've never felt so calm in my life before!"

"You don't seem calm," he chuckled.

"I'm exhilarated! I can't believe I did that! I _rode_ a horse!"

"Whoa, Miss Ally Marie, I knew there was somethin' under your shell," Austin said. He pulled a loose sprig of hair back and tucked it behind her ear.

"You're real beautiful, ya know."

"No I'm not," she said, as he stood above her. He wasn't as tall as Dez, but he was still a lot taller than her, even in heeled boots.

"Yes, you are," he whispered. "I'm gonna find out who you are, Miss Ally Marie. Mark my words."

"Okay," she said. "Mark mine: good luck."

/

"And he called me beautiful, Trish! Beautiful!"

"That's great, Ally! You like him!" Trish retorted.

"I do not!" she said, folding her arms.

"Yes you do! You like Austin! ALLY LIKES AUSTIN!" Trish yelled, and Ally cupped her mouth with her hand.

"Shut up, no one can know!" she whispered. "Except for me, you, and my book."

"Can I tell Dez?" Trish asked.

"No! Especially not him!" Ally screeched.

"What's wrong with Dez?" Trish asked.

Ally hunched her eyesbrows and Trish nodded her head.

"Fine," Trish huffed.

They sat in silence for a moment, before Trish squealed again.

"Oh-my-god, you like Austin!"


	5. remind me

"I'm not sure about this," Ally said, looking in the mirror with Autumn and Trish by her side. A set of pearls and a white, flowy dress that cut off just above her knees stared back at her.

"Please, you look _gorgeous_," Autumn said, curling her hair.

"Austin will love it," Trish said.

Autumn raised her eyebrows. "You like Austin?!"

Before Ally could say anything, Autumn squealed and jumped up and down. "This is perfect! You have to dance with him at the hoedown!"

Trish burst out laughing, and Autumn shot her a look. "Why is that funny?"

"Ally can't dance!" Trish said.

Ally shrugged. "It's true."

"Can you slow dance?" Autumn asked. Ally nodded her head yes and she smiled.

"I'll just ask the DJ to play a slow song. George Strait or somethin'. It's a done deal," Autumn said.

Ally whimpered nervously. "Guys, I don't know if I can do this."

"Of course you can," Trish said. "He likes you. You like him. They'll play a slow song, you'll stare into his eyes, he'll twirl you…AND BOOM, INSTANT BOYFRIEND!" Trish said.

Autumn chuckled. "That's how it happens on that one show, what's it called?"

"Boom, Instant Boyfriend?" Ally offered.

/

Maybe she should've expected a hoedown to have so many people.

She made her way to the back as fast as possible without drawing any attention to herself.

Unfortunately for her, the blondie had already spotted her and was making his way over.

"Hey, Als. You look…stunning," he said.

"I didn't know country boys had such a vocabulary," she said, grinning.

"I didn't know Miami girls had such a body, damn," Austin replied.

"And there it goes," Ally said.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and when she turned around, a black-haired, brown-eyed man was standing behind her, propped against the wall. Austin made a noise similar to a grunt, and gritted his teeth. "Donny."

"Austin," the man said. He looked up and down at Ally, grinning wildly.

"Hey, sexy," Donny said.

"Uhm, hi," Ally muttered.

"Tell me, are you a virgin?" he asked. Ally blinked her eyes open.

"Donny, stop it," Austin grimaced.

"Shut it, moon," he said. "Are you? Because I have a truck out back, and if you'd like…"

He reached for her hand, and she pulled away. He kept drawing closer until he flew back against the wall with a thud.

She looked back to see Austin had threw him.

"Get your perverted ass out of here," Austin said. He scrambled to his feet and out the door.

"Jesus Christ, I hate that guy," Austin muttered. "You okay?"

Ally merely nodded, extremely uncomfortable.

Austin let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

The tone of the song changed from something by Toby Keith to Wanted by Hunter Hayes. Ally looked up to see Autumn standing by the DJ.

Austin ran a hand through his hair. "So, Als…"

"Hm?" she asked.

"You wanna dance?"

She didn't say anything, but when he outstretched his hand, she took it. He led her out onto the floor.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, and his hands fell just at her hips.

"I swear, if your hands go any lower…" she mouthed.

He chuckled. "I got more respect for you than that asshole Donny now."

He took a hand off her hip to take her hand again, twirling her outwards. She giggled and spun back into him. Straight into his arms. And his warm, attractive, muscled chest. Staring into those luscious brown, chocolate eyes.

Her heart stopped when he spun her again, and when they met, their hands intertwined with each other.

"You're a good dancer," Austin said.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Ally said.

/

"Sing the duet with me."

"No, no, no," Ally said. "I am _not_ getting up on that stage."

"Come on, Als! You're just singing for a bunch of easy to please kids and old coots. You're amazing. Pleasee?" Austin asked. His brown eyes melted, giving her the best puppy-dog face he could manage.

She scoffed. "Fine, what song?"

He grinned.

"Oh god, Austin. What did you do now?"

The sound of the microphone feedback reverberated throughout the barn as Mimi's voice rang through the speakers.

"Ladies and gents, please give a warm welcome to our very own Austin Moon and Ally Dawson singing Remind Me!"

Ally went to back away, but Austin grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him. She wasn't even moving herself.

He handed her a microphone and whispered in her ear. "Just pretend you're singing to me."

He grabbed the handheld that was in front of him, and a smile painted over his face that she'd never seen before.

_We didn't care if people stared  
__We'd make out in a crowd somewhere  
__Somebody'd tell us to get a room  
__It's hard to believe that was me and you_

He walked around the stage like he knew exactly what to do and how to do it, clutching the mic like he depended on it.

_Now we keep saying that we're okay  
But I don't want to settle for good not great  
I miss the way that it felt back then  
I wanna feel that way again_

He breathed, finally, eyeing Ally.

_Been so long that you'd forget the way I used to kiss your neck_

_Remind me, oh baby Remind me_

_So on fire, so in love, way back when we couldn't get enough_

_Remind me, oh baby remind me_

She couldn't believe it. She just sang, on stage. Even if it was only background vocals.

_Remember the airport dropping me off  
We were kissing goodbye and we couldn't stop_

He smiled at her and brought the mic up again.

_I felt bad cause you missed your flight_

But that meant we had one more night

She stepped closer towards the crowd, but didn't take her eyes off him.

_Do you remember how it used to be  
We'd turn out the lights and we didn't just sleep_

_Remind me, oh baby remind me_

_Oh, so on fire so in love  
That look in your eyes that I miss so much_

_Remind me, oh baby remind me_

She tried to calm her nerves, but she couldn't. She was about to bounce off the wall. Austin took her hand and squeezed it as he sang into the mic.

_Yeah, I wanna feel that way. _

She brought hers up, staring directly into her eyes.

_Yeah, I wanna hold you close._

He dropped his mic on stage and grabbed hers with one hand, allowing her to still hold onto it.

_So if you love me_

_Don't just assume I know.._

_All those things that you used to do that made me fall in love with you_

_Remind me, oh baby remind me_

He positioned the mic towards himself, but never took his eyes off her.

_Yeah, you'd wake up in my old t-shirt  
All those mornings I was late for work  
Remind me_

She pulled it back.

_Remind me, oh baby…remind me_

He locked his eyes onto hers, meeting her gaze. Neither took their eyes of off each other.

The sound of the crowd cheering broke them both out of their gaze, and Ally nervously waved and hopped off stage. Austin followed as she went outside.

"That was awesome!" Austin screamed. "You're a wonderful singer! Why don't you do that more often?"

She shrugged, trying to get her heart rate back to normal. She looked in awe at how exhilarated he was. He was beaming and practically glowing, as well as she.

Maybe he _was_ destined for more than just this town.

Maybe they both were.

* * *

**Review:D**

**~rebel**


	6. yellow polka dot bikini

She woke up to a glistening sun, the sound of birds chirping, and…a shirtless Austin on her bed.

She would've yelled at him, really. She was just trying to get past the Farmer's tan.

And the absolutely gorgeous abs.

"You like what you see?" he said, not even glancing up. She stretched and tried to advert her eyes from his chest.

"Not particularly," she replied. "Why are you in here?"

"I was just looking through this photo album. What's with the scrawny kid that had his arms around you in all these photos?" he said. Her eyes looked down and she found the pictures of her and Zack scattered amidst her bed.

"That's…that's Zack," she sputtered. If she wasn't so taken aback, by the photos and his still glistening chest, she would've yelled at him for violating her sacred privacy.

"Your boyfriend?" Austin asked, a tinge of bitterness in his voice.

"Ex," she said.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"He's a scrawny kid. I bet I could kick his ass."

She just nodded.

"What happened between you two? You seem pretty happy in the photos."

"Some other time," she said.

He stared her in the eyes. "That awful? What'd he do, break your crayon?"

"I wish," she said.

"_He broke my crayon, but most of all, he broke my heart_," Austin mock sang, and she felt tears well up in her eyes.

"That's not what happened," she muttered.

"Whoa, Als, I was kidding around…what happened?"

"Nothing," Ally said, turning her head not to face him. He gently rose his arm and tilted her head towards him.

"Tell me."

"We dated for two years. He cheated on me, and when I told him I didn't want to sleep with him, he told all of my classmates and my friends that had any respect for me that I dumped him because he wouldn't put out," she said. She wiped her eyes.

Ally Dawson does not cry.

"Asshole. You want me to kick his ass?" Austin perked up.

"No, I think I'm over it. Thanks, though," Ally said.

He grinned. "You sure? Because I could. Look at this."

He flexed his arm up, revealing surprisingly well-toned biceps.

"You don't get that from sitting on your lazy biscuit and being an asshole," Austin smirked.

"Oh, really? Then how'd you get it?" Ally asked.

"You admit I have something, then."

"It's fact."

"Does that mean you're in love with me?"

His eyes twinkled and if she were naïve, she would've jumped and kissed him right there.

Instead, she threw a pillow at his face.

"I'll take that as a maybe-so."

/

"Austin Monica Moon!" Mimi yelled, and he peeked his head out from Ally's room.

"Yes Ma?"

"It is already noon! Are you forgettin' somethin?!" she yelled, then a pair of blue swim trunks flew into her room and landed straight on Austin's head.

Damn, Mimi had good aim.

"Aw, shit," Austin murmured under his breath. He stood up and smiled at Ally.

"Get that bikini out that I know you packed, sweets," Austin said, not missing a beat. "Or I'll find it myself."

He grabbed the swim trunks and shut the door, leaving Ally's mouth to gape open in shock.

She reluctantly grabbed the yellow polka-dot bikini she had in her carry-on and pulled her shirt off.

The door cracked open just as she unclasped her bra. She swiftly held it to her chest, leaving it untied.

"What?!"

"Hey Als, I -"

Austin stopped in his tracks, mouth wide open. "Miss Ally Marie, I believe you're a tad underdressed."

"Dammit, Austin, get out!" she screeched, face blistering red.

"I prefer the view in here, thank you."

He reached for her songbook, and in an impulse, she moved her hands from holding her bra to get the songbook away from him.

His eyes immediately trailed from her face down to her now uncovered chest, and it took her a minute to realize what she did.

She pulled up the cover and wrapped it around her chest.

"Ah, thanks for the, ah, view. I'll see you at the creek," he said, and stumbled out the door way. He almost tripped going out the door.

She sighed in relief and quickly threw the bikini top on.

/

After Trish guided her to the creek, she noticed 3 things.

1) Every other girl was wearing a flannel crop top and shorts. No bikinis.

2) Austin was shirtless again.

3) Austin was _shirtless_ again.

"Dang Miami, that bikini surely is…yellow," Austin said. She hit him on the arm, hard.

"Oww! What was that for?" he squealed.

"For not telling me I could've worn a crop top and shorts!"

He smirked. "Oh, that's so I could see you in your…how's it go?"

He looked in the air for a minute, before he started singing. "_It was an itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini…that she wore for the first time today!"_

Dez and Trish burst out laughing and Ally shoved him.

Straight into the water.

He got up, wiped his face off with the t-shirt he had on the bench, and eyed her.

"It's on, Miami."

Ally giggled and tried to run, but he wrapped his arms around her waist. She squealed as he picked her up and started walking into the water.

"Let me down, Moon!"

She yelled it, but she was laughing so hard she couldn't have been taken seriously. He pressed her into his chest and let his back hit the water as they both went under. She immediately jumped up, frantically trying to resurface, but he tightened his grip on her hands. After a few seconds, he swam back up with her still in his arms.

"I…can't…swim," she said in between breaths. He pulled her closer into his chest.

"I got you. Trust me."

He dove underneath the water and in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Ally desperately looked around but couldn't see him in the murky creek water.

Austin came up behind her and splashed a heave of water in her face.

She screamed and threw a handful at his hair, messing it up entirely. He grabbed her again, dunking her head slightly underwater. She jumped at him and he caught her, landing directly face first in his chest.

She tilted her head upwards slightly, their eyes meeting. She could've swore she was saw him lean in..

"_SHIT, IT'S RAINING!"_

A loud clap of thunder belted across the sky and she felt a couple of cool rain drops drip down her face. Ally awkwardly pulled away from him.

"Holy cheese gritz," Dez yelled. Lightning continued to light up the sky and Ally jumped out of the water.

"Dez, fire up the truck!" Austin yelled.

"I can't, it won't start!"

He muttered an unkind four letter word under his breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Did _anyone_ check for a storm warning?"

The rain started to beat down harder, not letting up it's pace. Austin put a hand on Ally's back and led her under the cabin roof.

"Why don't we just go in the cabin?" Ally asked, shivering.

"Uncle Randy and them locked it after a couple of outta-towners busted in it," Austin said. He looked at her, and was trying to ignore how the rain made the bikini cling to her natural shape.

"You're cold," he said. He quickly ran out to the bench and grabbed his shirt.

"I'm fine," she said, but he shook his head and outstretched the shirt to her.

"Put it on," he replied. "If you're cold or not. I don't like the way Donny's looking at you."

She glanced over her shoulder to find the same creep from the hoedown staring at her and Austin. She quickly threw the shirt over her head. It was warm, and it smelled like Austin. A little bit like sunshine.

The shirt was relatively large, but it clinged to her shape perfectly due to the persistent downbeat of rain. He felt a lump in his throat. If anything, she was even sexier.

"You know if you're still cold, you can cling- I mean, you can hold onto me. For warmth," he said.

"For warmth?" she repeated, shyness overtaking her.

"Come here," he said, enveloping her in his arms and sliding his back against the wall. She shuddered and allowed him to embrace her as the rain beat down.

Just this once.

* * *

**To get in the mood for this story, I had pandora on the country station. Originally, Austin and Ally were supposed to go to a country diner (and I'll save that idea for something else), but Hunter Haye's "Storm Warning" came on and well..this happened. (:**

**Review?  
~Rebel**


	7. trust is a two way street

The events of tonight played back in her head, from being pushed into the water by Austin to falling asleep momentarily in his arms.

Did she like him?

More importantly, did he like her?

Ally sighed and sunk back into the tub. She was in no position to have a crush on anybody. Especially not someone she just met a week prior.

The door flew open and she quickly covered herself with the shower curtain.

"God, haven't you heard of knocking?" Ally screeched, looking up to find no other than Austin.

"Haven't you heard of locking?" he said. He opened the cabinets and pulled out a tube of burn gel.

She rolled her eyes, and he spread out the gel on his hands.

"I bet you just like showing me your breasts," Austin murmured and Ally groaned.

"Not even," she said. "What's wrong with your hands?"

"Just a little burn," he murmured. She looked over at his severely blistered hand.

"Really? It looks like more than that."

"What happened to shy Ally?" he said, and she tightened her grip on the shower curtain.

"I trust you."

Three words. She doesn't know why they came out of her mouth, and she should know better than to trust strangers.

But this stranger somehow got the bigger meaning behind those three little words. He dropped the burn gel and extended his hands to her. They were horridly caliced and blistered, and a patch of rough skin was hiding behind dried blood.

Ally pulled herself out of the tub slowly, allowing the shower curtain to slowly drop from covering her. His eyes stayed fixated on her face.

She took her hand and held his.

"Why is the blood in a pattern?" she asked, tracing the circular path with her fingers lightly.

"I 'unno," he mouthed, and she sighed.

"Trust is a two-way street," she whispered, and Austin sat on the edge of the tub.

"My dad, ah, got a little mad. I wasn't plantin' right. He just burnt me with the brandisher. It's my fault, really."

Ally held his hand lightly, rising from the tub far enough to get the burn gel.

"It's gonna sting," she said, rubbing it generously on the palms of his hands. He winced but didn't say anything to protest.

"Thanks, Ally."

He shut the door without another word.

Ally.

Not Ally Marie, or Als.

Just Ally.

/

She didn't see Austin at breakfast the next morning. Although she'd never admit it, she was immensely worried about him.

Mimi flew through the door, cussing under her breath.

"What's wrong, Mi?" Betty asked, stirring the chili she was cooking over the gas stove. "You're kickin' up a storm out there."

"Mikey is being so damn stubborn," she spat out. "Yellin' at me for not feedin Pancakes. I thought Austin was gon' do it."

"He's probably just miffed. Don't worry shug. Maybe Austin will feed 'em tonight," Betty said.

"If the good lord's willing and the creek don't rise, cause neither Mikey or I got a clue of where he is."

Ally's stomach churned. Had she crossed the line last night?

"Y'all ain't lookin for him?!" Betty said, forgetting about the now oozing chili.

"Mikey went out to look for him. I'm worried sick, Betty Lou."

Dez shrugged. "I'm sure he's fine, Mimi. You know Austin."

"But he always leaves a note or somethin' to let us know. He didn't even come home last night, I figured he was here with y'all!"

Ally pushes the plate of grits aside. She lost her appetite. Where the hell was that boy?

/

By dinner, neither Mike or Austin had been heard from. Mimi was hysterical.

"If they ain't home by sunrise," Betty said, "we can call Sheriff Lucas."

Mimi merely nodded and continued to pace back and forth.

"Ally sweetie, you haven't touched your chili," Betty said.

"I'm not very hungry," she whispered. Betty placed a hand on top of Ally's, rubbing her thumb in circles around Ally's.

"We'll find him, shug."

/

Four a.m.

Four fucking a.m., and he taps on her window.

She opens it up, and the moment he climbs in, she wraps her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. She didn't notice the gash under his eye.

"Whoa, whoa, easy Als," he breathed out. "I'm here."

"Don't ever scare me like that again," she said, pulling her head up. Her eyes immediately met contact with the large gash under his eye.

"I got into a scrap with a cowboy," Austin said. "He hit me with his lasso, but I kicked the tar outta him."

Ally crossed her arms. "I may be from Florida, but I'm not dumb."

He sighed and took a seat cross-legged on her bed.

"You know, you're a lot different when I get to know you."

She smiled largely and tucked her hair behind her ear. "I've been told."

"Why'd you come to Texas?" Austin questioned. His eyes gleamed and she found it extremely hard to resist them.

"To get away," she said. "Zack was starting to scare me. I guess I needed some distance."

"Scare you?" Austin repeated. "How?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Trust is a two way street," he said, repeating her words from the previous night.

"He...threatened me. And when we were dating, he'd smack me around. I didn't want to take my chance."

Austin sighed. "You should've stood up to him. No one deserves to suffer alone."

She hunched an eyebrow and gently placed her hand under the gash. "You're one to talk. He did this, didn't he?"

Austin nodded. "It's my fault for running off."

"No, it's not. You should stand up to him. No one deserves to suffer alone."

He shrugged. "Aaron took it. I can, too."

"Can I show you something?" Ally said, changing her tone. He nodded and she pulled out a picture of her and Zack.

"He broke me. I can't trust because of him," she said. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "Please don't end up like me."

He smiled. "Okay. Then you, don't end up like me. Get out of Texas."

Ally tilted her head sideways, as if to question his statement.

"Texas is great and all, god knows its full of lovely people, but it's for people that just want a family. Not for people with dreams," he said. "I want kids, sure. But I feel like I'm worth more than shoveling horse shit for the rest of my life."

"You are."

He ran a hand through his hair. "You're the only one that seems to think so."

/

"What's your favorite color?" he asked.

"Yellow. It's full of life. It's like springtime, bright and bold. Yours?"

"Same here. Favorite type of movie?"

"Silent romance. They're beautiful, and who doesn't love a good tearjerker like the Notebook? Of course, that's not exactly silent, but whatever," she rambled. "You?"

"Horror. Type of music?"

"Pop, it's so upbeat. Then again, classic rock is pretty good too. And alternative. Soft rock, OHMYGOSH, I love the Fray. Mayday Parade, Bruno Mars, I can't choose. You?"

He laughed. "Country. You sure talk an awful lot."

She giggled bashfully. "Sorry."

"I think it's pretty cute. I like learning more about you," he smiled. "You're pretty interesting."

"You're the only one that seems to think so," she muttered.

"I'm sure that can't be true," he said. "You're beautiful, inside and out."

She shrugged. "No one takes the time to look past the shell."

"I've broken it," he said. She shrugged again.

"Maybe."


	8. in god's grace

"Austin, I love you to death, but If you ever scare me like that again, I'll whoop you until you can't move," Mimi said, hand held to her chest.

"Point taken," Austin said, then wrapped her in a hug. Betty smiled and dried the cup in her hand.

"Where's your father?" Mimi questioned. Austin shrugged.

"Once he found me he took off," Austin said. "He was staggering...you think he was drunk?"

"Him and Charlie Harp were drinkin moonshine the other day," Mimi said. "Wouldn't surprise me."

"Trish, you wanna come to the road kill cook off with me?" Dez asked. Trish looked at him like he was crazy.

"How about cracker barrel instead, Freckles?"

He nodded and Austin grinned madly. He had the perfect idea.

/

"Als!" Austin yelled from outside her window.

"What?" she said. She stuck her head out.

"Slip on your boots. I got a surprise for you."

/

"Where are we going again?" Ally asked, gripping tightly onto Austin's arm as he drove along in the green and orange tractor.

"Logan's. It's a diner up yonder," he said.

"I've come to know that up yonder is far from specific," Ally said. He shrugged and continued to drive.

When they stepped into Logan's, the first thing she noticed was the small table for two that had a beautiful cloth over it. All others had a flannel tablecloth draped on top.

"Austin, this is so cute!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I'm a nice guy."

The server brought out two beer mugs, setting them both down on the table. A brown-orange liquid bubbled inside them.

"I don't drink," Ally said, and the server laughed.

"Aw shucks hon, it's sweet tea."

She twirled her hair with an embarrassed flush on her face.

"It's okay. Just don't mistake the fried chicken for fish," Austin said.

"So what's the point of this?" Ally asked. "I mean, not to be rude or anything, but this really was out of the blue."

"Maybe I just wanted to seduce you," Austin said.

She folded her arms. "I don't buy it."

"Oh come on, how could that thought not have entered your head?" he asked, taking a sip of the tea. He instinctively spit it out into the napkin.

"Okay, that's beer."

She put on her best country accent. "Aw shucks, it's sweet tea."

He roared in a loud laughter. "Oh god don't ever try a Texan accent again."

"Why not? I tink I'm vury gerd at its."

Austin put a fist to his mouth to stifle his laughter. "Stop ruining our date."

"Date?" she stuttered.

The tips of his ears turned bright red. "Well, not exactly a date, but..."

"I got it," she said. Her heart felt heavy for some reason. Hello, friend zone.

"If you do stay in Texas...what would you do?" he asked randomly. She shrugged.

"Board with Dez and Trish when they get married. Die a lonely virgin with maybe 50 cats."

"Oh please, you can do more than that," he said. "Wait, virgin?"

She nodded and he chuckled. "Miss, I don't buy that."

"What? I'm not a whore," she said, a hurt look on her face.

"Aw no, that ain't what I meant. I mean, you're gorgeous. And you're twenty-one. I just figured..."

"Nope," she said, drinking out of her sweet tea. "Although I'm sure you're far from being a virgin Mary."

"Third times the charm," he said.

"Three times?" Ally asked.

"Twice."

She blushed furiously and he resorted back to laughing.

"I'm just yanking your chain," he said. "Although, if I may say so myself, you do have a lovely pair of breasts."

"God, I thought southern boys were supposed to be gentlemen!" Ally said.

"We are. It's a compliment, honey. Most of the girls 'round here don't have half the body you do."

"Shut up," she said. He winked at her and she couldn't help but smile.

His cell phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket, flipping it open and answering.

"Howdy," he said. A ragged breath was heard on the other line.

"Who is this? Wait, he what? Who? Yes ma'am. Oh…"

He was silent for a minute. He sighed and cupped his face with his hands. "Yeah, I'll be home in 10-20 minutes."

He shut the phone and politely asked the waitress for a check. Ally looked around in confusion.

"What was that?" she asked. He sighed and ran his hands down his face.

"My father's dead."


	9. talks

**A/N: First off, let me say I am so, so sorry for not updating. If you want to know why, keep reading. If you don't, which I completely understand, just skip to the story.**

**I play rugby, it's like, my favorite thing in the world. Injuries from the game and from medical problems I have keep me taking pills. Well, I didn't have my glasses on and I was late for practice so I grabbed a handful of pills from the bottle and downed them.**

**Big mistake. I overdosed and at practice I ended up blacking out. They took me to the hospital and I was really sick. The first day I couldn't even open my eyes. I'm a lot better now and hopefully I can get this story back on track.**

**Thanks,**

**~Rebel**

**/**

Ally didn't see Austin the next day.

Or the day after that.

Or the day after the day after the day after that.

She was really starting to get worried about him. After not seeing him at breakfast, she decided to face her fears and confront him. After all, it was just Austin. Nothing to be afraid of. Right?

/

"Hey," she said, casually twirling her hair. He didn't look up or even acknowledge her presence. He just kept working on the tractor.

"Are you…okay?" she asked.

He slid out from underneath the tractor. "I'm fine."

It didn't sound like the normal, cheery Austin. It sounded like some voodoo monster from the south had sucked the charm out from him and left with a barren businessman.

"You know, you can talk to me. I lost my mom when I was 15," she said. He wiped his hands off on the towel next to him.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Miss Ally Marie," he said. "How?"

"She worked in Africa for the longest time. Lion killed her," she whispered. "But I got through it, my dad and I. You can get through this."

"You can spare me the sympathy crap," he said. "I've heard it enough."

"Sorry," she said.

He sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I'm just on edge."

Austin smiled. It wasn't a genuine smile, like the one when they first met, but it was a start.

"I've got to sit around. Listen to everyone talk about what a great guy he was. He wasn't that great," Austin said. She took a seat next to him, crossing her legs.

"All he ever cared about was the farm and money. Not like he had much of it, he gambled and drank it all away. God forgive me for sayin' it, but Momma and I are relieved he's gone."

Ally bit her lip. "That night…when you said he got mad and burnt your hands," she started. "That…that wasn't a one time thing, was it?"

Austin shook his head. "No. No it wasn't."

"And now, everyone's sayin' the farms all my responsibility now," he muttered. "I don't want it. I don't want to be in this town anymore. I want to leave."

"Why don't you tell them that? Can't your mom take the farm?" Ally said.

"She wants it. So does Aunt Betty. But everyone else is tellin' me I'm the man of the house now, it's my job."

"So, stand up to them! Tell them that you are your own person. That you have your _own_ dreams!"

The corners of his eyes crinkled and his mouth formed into a sad smile. "There's a one in a million chance of somethin' like that happenin' here, Als. We don't pick our fate round here, our folks do. I got a better chance of winning the lottery."

She sighed and leaned over, gently pursing her lips onto Austin's forehead.

"Somebody has to win," she said.

/

"I don't know, Trish. I wish I could help him somehow," Ally said, plopping down on her bed.

"You'll find a way. You always do," Trish said.

"Aw, thanks Trish, you know, you're such a good friend."

"I know," Trish said, smiling. "Now will you let me go the fuck to sleep?"

/

"Pssst! Ally, open up!"

She gazed out her window only to find Austin clinging to a ladder. Ally opened it.

"What do you want, Austin? It's 3 in the morning! I was watching Doctor Who!"

She folded her arms and tried her best to look sassy, but Austin didn't buy it.

"I decided to take you up on your offer of talkin'. And Doctor what?" he said, hunching his eyebrow.

"Doctor _who_," she repeated. "You know, David Tennant?"

He gave her an even more confused look.

"Matt Smith? Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey? Sonic Screwdriver?!"

He shook his head. "Sorry Miss, I may be southern but I'm not an Alien."

"Southerners are missing out then. David Tennant is hot," she replied, hitting play on the DVD.

"Please, he's not as hot as me," Austin smirked. She shrugged her shoulders and sank back into the bed.

"There's room up here," she said. He scooted up beside her and ran a hand through his hair.

"It's funny, you know, we just met two weeks ago, but I feel like we met a long time before that."

She shrugged again.

"Stop shrugging, you shrugger," Austin said, and her eyes shot up.

"You've read that book, too?" Ally squealed.

"No, but I saw the movie. Warm Bodies is hella good."

She laughed. "The movie was pretty good. Something tells me you didn't come here to discuss pop culture, though."

"I told Ma I wasn't gonna take the farm. That I was sick of doing what everyone else wanted me to."

Ally placed her hand on top of Austin's. "And?"

"She said she'd take it. I'm off the hook."

"That's good, right?"

"I guess. So…why aren't I happy?"

She pulled the cover on top of both of them.

"Do you actually want me to answer that?" she whispered.

He shook his head. "No, I think I know. If Ma's going to work on the farm full time…and Pa's gone…I'll be pretty lonesome."

"Not necessarily," she said. "I'm here."


	10. welcome to miami

**I would like to briefly say thank you for all your concerns; I'm still in the hospital but merely for observations. Thank you 3**

**~Rebel**

* * *

"Pack your stuff, Ally Marie, we're goin' to Florida!"

She blinked. "We're what, Austin?"

Trish staggered from behind him, wheeling in a suitcase. "Your dad phoned, said he needed help running the store. I figured, hey, let's show these southerners what the city's like."

"Why was I not informed of this?" Ally muttered.

"Because you were sleeping. Us country folk get up pretty early," Dez said.

She sighed and pulled the covers up over her head. "Trishhh, I thought we said goodbye to Miami."

Trish pulled the covers back. "Come on, for your daddy?"

Ally groaned and grabbed the suitcase covered in music notes.

Austin placed a hand on the small of her back. "I can't wait to ask your Dad for some good Ally Marie stories."

She rewarded his comment by tossing the suitcase into his arms.

"Just for that, you're helping me pack."

/

"Oh my gosh, look at all the people! They look like ants!" Dez yelled, looking out the window of the plane.

"Dez, we're still on the ground. Those _are_ ants," Austin said.

"Oh," he said. Ally rolled her eyes and put her headphones in her ears.

"Whatcha listening to?" Austin perked up, sticking one of her headphones in his ear.

"Sleeping With Sirens," Austin said. "Nice. I never pictured you as a S-W-S fan."

"I never pictured you as one, either."

"So you picture me?" Austin said. He chuckled and shook his head. "What did you picture me as, then?"

"You know…Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, that kind of thing," she said.

"Just because I'm from Texas? I love all music pretty much," he said.

"We have that in common," she said.

"We have a lot in common."

/

When Austin woke up, everyone else on the plane was already asleep. Including Ally, who had somehow wound up with her arms around his waist and her head pressed into his chest in her sleep.

Not that he was complaining.

"You know, I think you two are like, soul mates or somethin'," Autumn said, leaning across Dez. He shrugged.

"I'm not kidding, Aus. I seriously think you two are made for each other."

"Go back to sleep, kiddo," he said, shutting his eyes and leaning back against the seat.

"You admit you like her?" Autumn said.

"Sure," Austin said.

He wrapped an arm around Ally's waist. She was doing a fairly well job at keeping him warm, and he allowed Autumn to take his blanket for that sole reason.

/

The second time he woke up, there was no petite angel (he did _not_ just think that) laying on his chest. Instead, she was on her tablet typing away in the notepad feature.

"Morning," he said, stretching out his arms.

"It's eleven o'clock at night, but morning to you too," she said, biting back a smile.

"When do we get off this death trap?"

He steered the conversation away from sleep. If she wasn't going to bring up the events of earlier, neither was he.

"In about 2 hours."

"Whatcha writing there?"

"Nothing."

He snatched the tablet up from her hands and quickly read through the contents of the screen.

I see you there

Don't know where you come from

Don't appear to care that I saw you

And I want you

"That's what you've been typeity typing on that device there?" Austin said.

"Yeah. It's this new song I'm working on…it's not coming along too well."

"I'll help," he said.

"Oh, you don't have to-"

"I want to. Now, how does this go?"

/

"Whoa," Dez said, looking around at the lights that lit up Miami Mall.

"This place is amazing," Austin said.

"Ally!" Lester yelled.

"Dad!" Ally squealed, running and jumping into his arms.

"Dez!" Dez exclaimed. Austin and Trish glared at him.

"What, I thought we were saying random names?" he said.

Austin shook his head and walked up to Lester.

"Hello, sir. My name's Austin Moon."

Lester extended his hand and Austin shook it.

"See, Ally, I told you you'd find a good boyfriend with manners."

Ally's face flushed. "What? We're not together!"

"Unfortunately," Austin said, winking at her. Ally huffed and crossed her arms.

"Allygator, don't you want to go show Austin around?" Lester said.

"No," she said. Austin poked out his bottom lip and folded his arms.

"Please, Allygator?"

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks a lot, Dad."

Lester grinned merrily. "You're welcome!"

/

They wandered around the mall for a good hour before finally settling at the food court. Austin grabbed two corndogs.

"That's sweet, but I'm not hungry," Ally muttered. Austin hunched an eyebrow, mouthful of corndog.

"What do you mean?" he spat out. "These are both for me."

She cringed. "Do you even know how unhealthy corndogs are?"

"Oh, don't be a stickler," he muttered.

"Stickler?" she repeated. "I'm sorry, I'm not quite up on southern lingo?"

He took another huge bite out of the corndog in his left hand before starting on the one in his right. "I believe it's the southern equivalent to tightass."

She slapped him on the arm.

"You've got a nice hook there," he said. "If I weren't eating a corndog I'd probably be hurt."

"That made…no sense, whatsoever," she said. "Then again, most of the things you say don't."

"I could say the same for you, miss "lingo"," he said mockingly.

Ally rolled her eyes. "Bite me."

"Gladly," Austin said, smirking and licking his lips. She folded her arms.

"You test the patience of a saint."

"You're far from a saint," Austin said triumphantly.

/

"Miami's not a bad place. I don't see why you left it," Austin said, licking at his ice cream cone.

She shrugged. "It gets old."

He went to touch her on the shoulder, but unfortunately, he's not very good at coordination - his ice cream splattered straight on his boots.

She laughed and simply licked her intact cone.

"No fair!" he said, folding his arms.

"You're such a child," she muttered.

He reached down and licked her ice cream.

"You jackass!" she screamed.

"I don't have germs," he said. "Calm down."

He went to lick it again and she brought it up quickly, allowing the ice cream to hit him directly in the face.

Austin licked over his face. "It still tastes good."

"Ally? Ally Dawson?" a voice came from behind.

She whirled around. The smile faded from her face in a matter of two seconds.

"Zack?"


	11. say when

Ally felt a knot tie in her stomach.

"I always knew you'd come back to Miami," Zack said. "Come back to me."

"Go away," she said, gritting her teeth together. The memories playing back in her head were about to make her throw up.

"You know, my mom asks about you all the time. The troubled girl I hung out with. I told her you ran away to Texas," he said.

"Go away," she repeated.

"You were never good at confronting your problems. You just ran away like a coward. Isn't that right, Ally?"

"She said go away," Austin said. "And excuse my old-fashioned manner, but it's in the kindest respect to listen to a woman's wishes."

"Who the fuck are you?" Zack said.

"Austin Moon," he said. "The little I've heard of you so far already makes me want to kick your teeth in. Don't expand that feeling."

"This isn't Texas, or whatever the hell hillbilly town you're from. This is Miami - this is my city, don't tell me what the fuck to do."

"Austin, can we just leave?" Ally muttered.

"Go ahead, run away again," Zack said.

"Austin, please."

He sighed and turned away, taking Ally's now trembling hand in the process.

/

"He's still here?" Trish said. "I could've sworn that he'd either be in jail or in a grave by now."

"He will be," Austin muttered. "I ain't ever seen Ally like that. Her face went white like a ghost, she was shaking. Just by hearing his voice."

"She's scared of him," Trish said. "He really fucked her up."

"He should be scared of me," Austin said. "I'll fuck _him_ up."

"That did _not_ sound right," Autumn said. "Did I come in at the wrong time?"

"Kind of," Trish said. "Speaking of, has anybody _seen_ Ally?"

The trio looked around at each other, nobody saying anything.

"Aw shit," Austin said. "You reckon she's alright?"

"She's Ally. Of course she is," Trish said.

/

"That hick," Zack said, "that your boyfriend?"

"No," Ally murmured.

"You couldn't find anyone after me, could you?"

She stayed silent, eyes fixated on her legs that were swinging as she sat on the fountain.

"We could've had it all, you and me. You just had to go and fuck with it, though, didn't you Ally?"

_I hate you. You ruined us, not me. I hate you._

"I was such a good boyfriend to you. You were such a bad girlfriend, Ally."

_Bad girlfriend._

Somewhere, vaguely sputtering in her mind, those two words still lingered. That was his excuse for everything.

"I'm willing to give _us_ another shot, Ally," Zack said. "Are you?"

She didn't say anything else. The way he said her name shot chills up her spine and left a painful sound in her ears. It was disgusting.

She could feel his breath creeping down her neck, and she shuddered on impulse.

"Are you?"

His lips connected with hers, hands holding her head in place. She kneed him off of her.

"Get away from me!" she screamed, before he slapped her.

Ally stumbled back into the wall, freezing.

She did something she hadn't done for three months.

She shrank back and waited for the impact of another blow.

/

"Hey," Austin said, taking a seat next to Ally on the piano. "Did you wanna work on that song?"

"Sure," she said, brushing her hair in front of her face.

_I see you there, don't know where you come from_

_Unaware, the stare from someone_

_Don't appear to care that I saw you_

_I want you_

"That's it. That's literally all I've got," she said. "Writers block, I guess."

His fingers nimbly swept across the keys. Her mouth gaped open in shock. Was it possible that the same callused hands could play a piano so beautifully?

"How about…this," he said, gliding across the keys.

_What's your name, I have to know it_

_You let me in, begin to show it_

_We're terrified, we're heading straight for it_

_Might get it_

"I thought you couldn't write songs," Ally said. "That was actually really good."

"If I have motivation," Austin said, thought trailing off as he started playing again.

_You're like a song playing in the background_

_All alone but you're turning up now_

_And everyone is rising to meet you, to greet you_

_Turn around and you're walking toward me_

_I'm breaking down and you're breathing slowly_

_Say the word and I will be your man, your man_

She placed her hands on the piano as well, playing a melody similar to the one Austin started with.

_Say when_

_And my own two hands will comfort you_

_Tonight, tonight_

_Say when_

_And my own two arms will carry you_

_Tonight, tonight_

He paused for a minute, before continuing to play.

_You come across, lost and broken_

_You're coming to, but you're slow in waking_

_You still haven't spoken, what happened?_

Ally pulled out her book, creasing the spine and changing the tempo slightly.

_They're coming back and you just don't know when_

_You want to cry but there's nothing coming_

_They're gonna push until you give in_

_Say when_

Austin adjusted to the tempo, slowly down the chorus slightly.

_Say whenA_

_nd my own two hands will comfort you_

_Tonight, tonight_

_Say when_

_And my own two arms will carry you_

_Tonight, tonight_

Her fingers gently hit the piano again, but no words seeped out.

"My granny used to tell me every song had a meaning," Austin said.

"Yeah?" Ally creaked out.

"Yeah," he said. "Say when."

She smiled slightly and turned to face him.

"Right," she breathed out. "Say when."

* * *

**A/N: Again, sorry for the delay in updating. I had to go to Charleston yesterday which was an all day trip and before that I had a follow-up. Sorry!  
*the song is _Say When_ by The Fray. the lyrics are changed up slightly to fit this fanfic, but not much.**

**Review!  
~rebel**


	12. each other

"I want you to be my girlfriend again."

Ally cringed at the thought. Zack merely stood in front of her, eyes dead and cold.

"No," she said. "I'm done with you. I meant it last time."

He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "No, you didn't. You never mean anything, Ally."

"Stop saying my name," Ally whispered.

"We could be happy again," he breathed out. "We could be _us_ again."

"Us and happy should not go in the same sentence," Ally said. She attempted to walk away, but Zack gripped onto her wrist, pulling her back toward him.

"Let me go!"

"Why? So you can go tell all your friends about what a _jackass_ I am? All because you're a stupid brat?" he shouted. "You know you want me. You play hard to get, like your some big mystery, but you're not. You're just a stupid bitch, you know that?"

He pinned her wrists together, kissing the back of her neck. "A stupid bitch."

"If you don't let me go, I'll…"

"You'll what, Ally?" Zack said. "You'll go tell your stupid hick boyfriend?"

"He's not a hick, and he's not my boyfriend," Ally said.

"You wanna know why he's not your boyfriend? Because you're you, Ally. And I'm the only one that's willing to put up with you."

He extended his arm, raising it in a position that she flinched, shrinking back against the wall.

"I wouldn't do that," Austin murmured. "I've tipped over entire tractors back home nearly a hundred times my weight. Imagine what I can do to you."

He released her wrist, and Ally slid down the wall.

When Zack turned his back, she scurried off to Sonic Boom, not looking back.

"I'm real scared of some country twat," Zack said.

"You should be," Austin said. "Because god forbid, if you hurt her, I will kill you. I won't think twice."

Zack chuckled, and Austin narrowed his eyes.

"Look at my eyes. Look at me. I'm not fucking kidding, I will kill you," he repeated.

Zack smirked. "You're a bit jealous, aren't you? You shouldn't be. You could do much better."

Austin stepped closer. "Watch your mouth, kid."

"She's a spoiled bitch," Zack said. Austin growled.

"I'm wearing steel-toed cowboy boots. That should be warning enough not to mess with me," he said.

"You're messing with me and my property."

"She is _not_ your property," Austin said. Zack reached up to punch him, and Austin grabbed his wrist.

"Country boys can fight a heck of a lot better than any city pansy," Austin said, smirking and throwing Zack back into the wall. He jumped up and lunged at Austin, only to be thrown back and punched in the jaw. Blood sputtered out the corner of his mouth.

"Still think I'm a hick?" Austin said, as Zack stumbled to his feet.

"No, I think you two are perfect for each other, actually. Worthless and pathetic."

Austin grabbed his collar, pinning him back against the wall. "Leave 'er the hell alone. I ain't kidding now. Consider this a warning."

/

"Ally?" Austin said lightly, peeking his head into her room. "I know you're in here."

She pulled her knees into her chest, burying her head in her knees. "Go away."

"Sorry, but I can't abandon a damsel in distress," he said, taking a seat beside her. "I am so, so sorry, Als. I can't even begin to say how sorry I am."

"Then don't. It's not even your fault."

"Still, you shouldn't have to deal with this. Not you," he said.

"Somebody's got to win," she said, and his eyes flickered. Austin pulled her into his chest and rested his chin on her head.

"Don't go," she said, shutting her eyes.

"Mhm," he said. "Say when."

/

"You know, I'm starting to miss Betty Lou and Mimi," Trish said.

"We're going back in a week, Trish. I'm sure they're enjoying their break from us," Autumn replied.

"I feel bad for Ma, though. All those chores by herself?" Dez said, and Autumn shrugged.

"Ma can handle it. I'm just worried about Mimi, it hasn't been too long since Mike passed," Autumn murmured.

"Is anybody else worried about Austin? I mean, he lost someone too," Trish commented.

"He has Ally, though," Dez said.

"For once in my life, I agree with Dez. She's probably helping more than any of us could," Autumn said.

"Same for him helping her," Trish added. "Her ex-boyfriend's back."

Autumn solemnly nodded. Dez sipped at his tea cheerily.

"What about his back?" Dez asked.

Autumn facepalmed. "Nevermind, Dez."

Austin moved into the kitchen, grabbing an apple from the bucket. "Morning, y'all."

"Hey," Autumn said. "Where's Ally?"

"In my room. Gottagobye," he said, quickly maneuvering his way back to her room.

"That was weird," Dez said, flipping his hair. "Well, I'm off to go cook some drumchili."

/

"Ally?" Austin asked, nudging her slightly. She lifted her head from the bed.

"Yeah?"

"I brought you an apple."

She pushed herself up and took it, biting into it. Austin took a seat on the bed and watched her, both of them sitting in silence.

"Stop that...stop watching me chew," Ally said, trying to stifle a laugh.

"You chew funny," Austin said. "Up, down, left, right. It's like a code or somethin'."

She threw the apple at his head and he caught it in his hand. "No, eat it. It's cute."

"I'm not hungry," she said. "I just wanted to taste something."

"Are you sure? You were really victimizing that apple there," he said.

"Fine. Go get me some soup. Where I don't have to chew."

He nodded and headed out the door.

"Hey, Austin?" she said, making him stop midway. "Thanks. For everything."

He nodded again and winked, shutting the door behind him.


	13. we'll talk in texas

"Ally, wake up," Austin moaned, throwing a pillow halfheartedly at her head.

She fluttered her eyelids open, registering where she was. In her bed. With...Austin. And he neglected to have a shirt on.

"Why the pickles are you in my bed?" she muttered, still not awake yet.

"We slept together."

Her eyes shot up and she slapped him in the face.

"Ow! Not like that, you perv!" he yelped, holding his face. "That hurt!"

Ally rolled her eyes and sat up. "It's five thirty in the morning. You better have a good reason for waking me up."

"I do. We're goin' to breakfast with Trish and Dez while Autumn helps yer Pop with his store," Austin said. He threw a shirt over his head, pulled a pair of Levi's on top of his boxers, and smiled at Ally.

"I'm going back to bed," she whined, throwing her head back into the pillow. Without thinking, Austin pulled back the sheets and threw her over his shoulder.

"Austin! Put me down!" she squealed. He didn't comply until they reached the bathroom, where he opened the door and sat her inside.

"You should eat more. You're light as piece'a of cotton," he said. She crossed her arms and huffed.

"You suck, Moon," she said, biting her lip to refrain from smiling.

"See you at breakfast."

/

Ally had never seen someone eat pancakes so mercilessly before. Four pancakes down in ten minutes.

"Oh my god, were you raised by wolves?" she asked, cutting a small bite down from her plate while Austin ordered another round.

"Don't tell my momma, she'll kill me and swear she taught me better. I love pancakes."

"I take it that's the inspiration for Pancakes, the horse?"

"Yup," Dez said. "You know, Austin usually engulfs them. If he wasn't so busy yappin' to you, he'd be done ate four stacks."

Ally rolled her eyes. "The pancakes will kill your cholesterol."

"My what?" Austin said, mouth full of syrup and mixed up pancakes.

"Never mind," she said.

He took another bite before grabbing his fork and cutting out a small piece. "Try it."

"Oh no, I'm not-"

He stuck the fork in her mouth, allowing her to take it off his fork, then pulled it back out.

She sighed. "They're good."

He smiled triumphantly and fed her another bite.

/

"Are you sure we have to go?" Autumn whined. "Miami is _so_ good for my tan."

"Compared to Texas?" Dez said, shooting his eyes wide open. He popped open the trunk of the car, setting Trish and his' suitcases in.

Trish smiled. "I'll miss the shopping. You see these shoes? I can't find _or_ wear them in Texas."

"I'll miss Lester," Dez said, wiping tears from his eyes. "I love that man."

"Am I the only one glad to be going?" Ally said, readjusting her shades. "Come on, you guys."

Austin put his hand on the small of her back and grabbed her suitcase. "Don't mind her, she's just cranky this mornin'."

Ally rolled her eyes and sighed. "Texas, here we come."

"Hey, cutie."

Ally whipped her head around, only to find a boy with brown swept hair and kind brown eyes staring back at her.

"Me?"

He nodded, leaning on the telephone pole. "Yeah. I'm new in town. Could I have directions to your heart?"

Austin scoffed. "Hey, Harry Styles?"

"It's Dallas," the boy said, hunching an eyebrow but keeping his eyes on Ally.

"Whatever. She's with me, and we've got somewhere important to be, so if you could move your twig ass out of the way, that'd be rather nice."

"Whatever," Dallas mocked. He mouthed "call me" to Ally and slipped her his number.

When he was out of earshot, Ally smirked and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm with who?"

"Me," Austin said, not looking up, just packaging the bags into the trunk of the rental car.

"When was this decided?" she said. She was trying to look sassy - and maybe it would have worked, had it not been for her petite figure and angel face.

"Since I met you. You're off limits to all other folks, guys especially," he said, and shut the trunk. "Now come on, let's go, Trish and Autumn are waiting desperately to leave."

/

"I just love airplanes!" Dez said, sighing as he sunk back into the first class seat.

"I can't believe your dad, the cheapskate, bought us firstclass," Trish said.

Ally smiled. "The tickets were free, my uncle runs the airline."

"That makes sense. By the way, what did that cute boy want, Ally?" Trish asked. Austin scoffed.

"He ain't cute. He's one of them Belieber Directioner people."

"He gave me his number," Ally said. "Then Austin informed him I was off limits."

Autumn burst out laughing. "God, you were so jealous!"

"I was _not_ jealous," Austin said. "I was just sayin' that she wasn't interested."

Trish rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Austin sighed and sunk back into his seat, pulling up the blanket. "Let me sleep. It's late and I need some shut-eye."

Autumn nodded as he closed his eyes.

"Jealoussss!"

/

Austin blinked his eyes open. Dez was asleep with Trish in his arms, Autumn had passed out in the corner, and Ally was at the very front, the bulge of her large headphones on her head poking out.

He made his way up to the front of the plane, taking the seat next to her and carefully removing the headphones from her head.

"What do you want, Austin?" she said, a harshness behind her voice.

"Whoa, is it because I took these off?" he said, holding up the headphones. "If it is, I'm awful sorry, Als."

"No, it's…ugh, never mind," she said. "Go take your flannel shirted self somewhere else."

He almost chuckled at her fail insult, but he knew she was awful at being mean to people and this was probably killing her.

"Ally, please, what's wrong?"

"You! You are what's wrong, Austin!" she said, louder but not loud enough to wake any of the others up.

"What? What did I do?" he said, folding his arms.

"You…you act like you don't like me, but then you act like you do! Everything! You _beat up _my ex boyfriend! It's so infuriating when I can't figure out if you like me or not, because I-"

He interrupted her, pulling his lips onto hers. When she obliged and kissed back, rather than pulling away, his tongue flickered on the edge of her lips, begging for entrance, which was gladly granted. Austin pulled away briefly, but only for a moment to breathe. When they met again, his hands landed on her hips and her arms wrapped around his neck, lingering against his back. A flush crept across her cheeks as his hands, warm as everything else on his body, made their way up her tank top. She shuddered and breathed out.

"Austin," she said, as his lips pressed against the skin of her neck.

"Austin, we have to stop. I am _not_ losing my virginity on an airplane," she said. Her heart was going a million miles an hour, but she stayed calm.

He chuckled. "That ain't what I was goin' for."

She opened her mouth but he pressed a finger to her lips. "Shh. We'll talk in Texas."

He replaced his finger with his lips again, planting a subtle kiss before shrinking back into the seat and closing his eyes.

Ally moved back to hers, laying back.

How could he sleep after that?


	14. wherever you are

"Betty Lou!"

"Mimi!"

"Trishy! Dez! Austin! Ally! Autumn!"

"Kids!"

Dez ran into his mother's arms, and Ally was thankful Betty Lou was a strong woman. Austin wrapped his arms less wildly around his own mother, before kissing Betty on the cheek.

"Oh gosh, we've missed you kids so much," Mimi said, clasping her hands together. Ally smiled shyly and walked inside the house, Austin trailing right behind her.

"We're in Texas," he said, wrapping her arms around her from behind.

"Really? I didn't notice," Ally said, pushing his arms off gently and opening the door to her room.

"We need to talk," Austin said, smiling gingerly.

"We kissed. So what? It didn't mean anything," she said, laying down on her bed. Step 3 in Ally's Personal Shell book: Nothing means anything. No guy will ever do anything that means anything, so don't expect it to mean anything, or you'll just get broken in the process.

"You're very experienced for a virgin," he said, sitting down on the bed. "And it may just be the country boy in me talkin' here, but any kiss means somethin', specially that one."

"Yeah, guys watch porno and girls read romance novels," she said, pulling her hair back.

"I don't. But I can't say I've never copped a feel on a girl," he said shyly.

"Should I be offended or relieved?" Ally asked awkwardly.

"Look, Ally, I really like you. I may not be some boy band type, dashing prince. I'm a kid from Texas, of course I'm not. I promise I'll never hurt you, though. I just need to know if you trust me."

"Not if I like you?" Ally asked.

"I know you like me. You wouldn't have kissed me if you didn't," he said. "I like to show my girl friends off. I'm going to put my arm around you. I'm going to kiss you, yeah. I like the sound of that, really. But I'm never going to hurt you, and you need to know that. Besides, round these parts, if I did hurt you, my momma'd be done killed me. So…do you trust me?"

"I-I trust you," she said timidly.

"Good," he said.

"If we're going to do this though…there's some things you need to know. I am shy. I'm not your sexy cheerleader and I'm not perfect. I'm a lot to handle, and if you don't want to, which I understand, you can walk away now and we'll be fine. Otherwise, Austin, I'm saying now."

"I've herded cattles through brooks, streams, and mountains. I can handle you," Austin said. "Now, Miss Ally Marie, would you like to be my girlfriend?"

She glanced at her feet, and Austin sighed.

"Trust," he whispered.

"Yes," she said quickly. "Yes, I'll be your girlfriend."

"Promise me one thing, though," Ally said. "You won't pull a Jason Aldean and use a big, green tractor for our date."

He chuckled. "I'll promise it won't be green."

"Close enough."

/

"What?! You asked her out?" Trish yelled.

"You kissed her?!" Autumn yelled.

"There's no mayo on my sandwich?!" Dez yelled.

Austin, Autumn and Trish eyed Dez awkwardly.

"What? There is no mayo! Zip! Dry as a bone!" he said.

Trish shook her head. "Nevermind him. This is amazing, oh my god."

"Finally!" Autumn shrieked.

"Why aren't you with her?!" Trish yelled.

"She's in the shower!" Austin said.

"So?" Autumn replied, wiggling her eyebrows.

He walked out of the room. "Y'all are impossible!"

/

He walked in her room, plopped down on the bed, and sighed.

"Ally?" he called towards the bathroom. Austin couldn't hear any water running.

"Yeah?" she called back.

"Whatcha' doin?"

"Drying off, why?"

"I need you."

He heard the towel being thrown over the shower rod, the clips from the curtain rustling and ringing in his ears. In a second, she was out of the bathroom, in a white t-shirt that was clinging to her chest because of the water, black shorts, and sandals. He grinned as her wet hair flopped on her shoulders.

"What happened?! Did Dez set himself on fire?!" she said, and he grabbed her forearms.

"No, no. Dez is fine and I'm sure he ain't on fire," Austin said. "I just miss you."

"Austin…I've only been in the shower fifteen minutes."

"That's a long time," he said, pulling her into him. "And we just got together, so I'm going through withdrawal."

She smiled and buried her face in his chest, still red from the hot shower. "Austin?"

"Hm?" he said.

"If you could be anywhere, since you say you should get out of Texas, where would it be?"

"Hmm…New York is too crowded. I've got a cousin in Minnesota, but that's too cold. California. Hollywood. I could make a name for myself."

She nodded as his arms wrapped around her, and he smiled as she wrapped hers around him as well.

"How about you?"

She nuzzled her face in his chest again, taking time to answer his question.

"Wherever you are."


	15. the end

"Oh, god," Austin said, looking at the girl in front of him. She looked a lot like Ally, but she was wearing a flannel shirt, along with Levi's and work boots.

"What did my mom do to you?" he asked, pulling a strand of disheveled hair back from her face, laced with dirt.

"She thought I looked like a farmhand, so she's trying to get me to be one," Ally said.

"Oh, god. Oh my god," Austin said, pacing back and forth. "Oh my god."

"What? I think it's cute," Ally said, smiling.

"Nonono, with my mother, it's not "cute", she's trying to turn ya into one of us."

"What? You can't be serious?" Ally asked.

"Yes, she did the same thing with Cassidy, oh my god, Ally."

"Austin, calm down," she said.

"I have to get you out of here. We _have_ to leave Texas."

"What?"

"We can't stay here if we're going to stay together."

"You're serious?"

He nodded.

"Hold your horses, Austin," Ally said. "We just got together."

"But you feel it, right? The fact that we're soul mates? That we're just meant to be together? I don't care if we'd been together for five minutes, Ally, shucks, five seconds, I love you, and I'm not going to let mah family turn ya into this. You're not a country girl and I like you for that."

"But Austin-"

"I don't want you to change. And I don't want to be stuck here. Hell, we could take Dez, Trish, Autumn, Betty Lou. I don't care, I just want to leave."

"Austin-"

"I've got a lot of bucks saved up for my future and we could take it and move. I could get a job, I'm strong, I could work."

"Austin! Listen to me!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Ally," he said, backing away.

"Firstly, I'm not changing. I told your mom flat out I didn't want to be associated with the farm, it was a temporary ordeal. Secondly, Dez's family and Trish wouldn't come, they love it down here. Thirdly, remember what I said last night? I want to be wherever you are."

He sighed. "We need to think this through."

"Yeah, we do," she said, smiling.

"Should we tell them?" he asking, looking back at the house.

"Yeah. They might think we got kidnapped or something otherwise," Ally said, taking her own glance. "I wouldn't tell your mom until after you're gone, though."

"After _we're_ gone," he said.

/

"You're what?!" Autumn said.

"Leaving," Austin said. "Soon."

"We've just got to work out all the kinks," Ally said.

Trish wrapped her arms around Ally. "Invite me to the wedding?"

"Of course. Wait, what wedding?" Ally said, hunching her eyebrow.

"You and Austin's. I can't wait," Trish said.

"Whoa, we're not getting married," Austin said.

Dez smirked. "But you will."

"One day," Austin said.

"Not today, though. We should probably get packing," Ally said.

"Don't you guys think you're rushing into this? It's like, totally out of the blue," Trish said.

"I want to get out of here as soon as possible. It was made clear in the beginning that if I was to have a happy ending, it wouldn't be in Texas," Austin said.

Autumn nodded her head and threw her arms around Austin's neck. "Be good to her, Aus. She's a keeper."

"Yes she is," he said, hugging her back.

"Goodbye, buddy," Dez said, holding onto the other side of Austin.

"Aw, what the hey, group hug!" Trish said, pulling onto the front of Austin.

"Whoa, guys, there's still the phone! And skype! And the mailman! Man down, man down!" Austin called as the three holding onto him pulled him down.

Ally chuckled. Trish pried herself out of the pile that was Austin and gave Ally a hug as well.

"Don't let him go, Ally. Trust him. Please," she said, flipping her curls back from her shoulder.

"Okay. Thank you, Trish, for convincing me to go down here with you," she whispered. "If I didn't…"

"You wouldn't be going to California. You better mail me all the hottest fashions," Trish whispered back.

"I will," Ally said. "I'll get something for Dez, too."

"It better be something neon or stupid."

/

Ally sighed, walking back and forth along the line of her bed.

Was she really going to move to California? Was Trish right, were they rushing into this?

They had only known each other two months. What if they broke up?

"Sweetheart, are you alright?" Betty Lou asked, walking into Ally's room.

"I'm fine. Just a bit stressed," Ally said.

"Second thoughts about moving?" Betty offered.

"You know?!" Ally yelled.

"Call it a Mother's Intuition. Dez was crying, and Austin's suitcase is packed, and well, let's face it, that boy ain't going nowhere without you by his side."

"I'm sorry. He really wants to get out of Texas and make something of himself," Ally said. "I wish I would've told you."

"No hard feelings, I understand. You're both worth more than a small town, anyway. Just don't forget to write."

"There's this thing called a phone, Betty Lou," Ally said.

"Just remember one thing, Austin won't hurt you. You're safe with him. If you're gonna go anywhere, it's a good thing it's with him. I'll tell Mimi after you both are safely out of the state."

Ally nodded and threw her arms around Betty. "Thank you, for everything."

Betty dabbed at her eyes with her chicken-printed handkerchief. "It's no problem, sweetie. I want god kids, though."

"Hopefully you'll have some grandkids, too," Ally said.

"Trish said, and I quote, she ain't poppin' out no baseball league," Betty said.

"Yeah, that's Trish. But she also said she'd never date Dez, and look at them now."

"Yeah…time does mysterious things. Treat Austin good. I'll ring ya," Betty said. Ally gave her an awkward look.

"What? Do the kids not say that?"

/

"Pssst, Ally!" Austin called from her window.

"What?"

"Let's go!" he called from the bottom. "Toss down your suitcase!"

"Now?" she asked. He nodded and she sighed, throwing down her suitcase as she climbed out the window.

"Are you sure about this?" Ally said.

"I've never been more sure about anything in my life," Austin whispered. "I want to leave."

"Austin, think about this. Think about who you're leaving. Your mother. Your friends."

"Ally, please. Please don't make me choose. Please don't make me choose, Ally," he said, gripping onto the small carry-on suitcase.

"Would you leave me?" she asked.

"No, this is _for _you."

He reached down and kissed her, every memory of the two since they first met playing back in her head. Every beautiful moment in time, like a movie. She kissed back softly, letting him drape his arms over her.

When they pulled away, she was sure.

She took his hand in hers, squeezing it slightly for reassurance. They never let go through the way to the road.

As he went to cross, he let go. "I'm going to walk to the other side. If you follow, I know you want to go, start a life. That's fine with me. If ya don't, when I get to the other side, and you're still over here, I'll come back. Stay with y'all. It's up to you, okay?"

Ally nodded and he took the first step in the road. Taking a deep breath and collecting herself, she followed.

Oh thank Jesus, she followed.


End file.
